20 patients in Greater Glasgow and Clyde are owed an apology by the Scottish Government according to Labour MSP Anne McTaggart.

In 2012 the Scottish Government gave patients the legal right to be seen within 12 weeks.

But since then there has been over 12,000 individual breaches of the law across Scotland, with 20 of these in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

In addition, an Audit Scotland report highlighted that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde failed to meet two thirds of its targets on waiting times and delayed discharges. The health board also faces costs of £167 million in backlog maintenance just to keep its buildings fit for purpose. This follows cancelled operations last week because its hospitals were too busy to treat patients.

Anne McTaggart MSP has said that the NHS is facing huge pressure, and has backed a policy announced by Scottish Labour to deliver 1000 additional nurses to Scotland.

The funding for the nurses will be provided by a UK wide Mansion Tax on properties over £2 million.

Ms McTaggart said:

“These figures are shocking. The Scottish Government gave themselves a legal obligation to meet targets on waiting times but since then they have broken that law over 12,000 times across Scotland.

“20 patients in Glasgow are owed an apology by the Scottish Government, who have broken a promise when enshrined in law.

“The reality is that our NHS across Scotland is under huge pressure and the Scottish Government has been posted missing.

“From my regular surgeries to out on the doorstep it is clear to me that people in Glasgow are concerned about the NHS. The staff who work in it are doing the absolute best they can but they are under immense pressure, overstretched and underfunded.

“That is why I am backing 1000 additional nurses for Scotland, funded by a UK wide mansion tax on properties over £2 million. It will support our NHS and its staff, and only Labour can deliver this policy to Scotland.”

Stats for Health Board below

Scottish Labour’s 1,000 Extra Nurses Plan

Scottish Labour will fund the extra 1,000 NHS nurses in Scotland using the Barnett consequentials of £250m from Labour’s Time to Care fund, made up from:

The proposal to fund 1000 additional nurses is costed, and does not spend the full amount Scotland would receive in Barnett consequentials from this additional UK Government spending. It is also below the mansion tax share of this.

SPICE estimate the cost of recruiting a nurse to be £29,702. That puts cost of 1000 nurses at £29,702,520.

Mid-range Band 5 Nurse salary

£24,312.00

Employer pension contribution (14%)

£3,403.68

National Insurance contribution (12% on earnings above £7,755)

£1,986.84

Total cost

£29,702.52

Zoopla have analysed the regional distribution of the mansion tax across the UK:

Last week, the RCN said the Scottish Government’s recent waiting time figures publication was “political point scoring”:

“Political point scoring on targets is all well and good but if one of the reasons Scotland’s A&Es are performing against the four hour target less badly than their counterparts in England is because patients are having surgery cancelled, it somewhat misses the point. Our concern should be about patient care, not numbers.”